THIS MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

In Revelation 22:16 someone says, "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." Who is speaking?

The answer

Jesus. The verse opens "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you" and ends with his title, "the bright morning star" (Revelation 22:16). The Latin for morning star is lucifer. Isaiah 14:12 uses this title for a ruler "fallen from heaven", in a taunt the chapter addresses to the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:4).

Why it’s interesting

2 Peter uses the picture too. It tells readers to pay attention to the prophetic message "until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19). The morning star is the planet Venus, seen shortly before sunrise.

Scholarly consensus

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